Slayers ETERNAL BLACK
by Heath Lord of Darkness
Summary: Lina Inverse and Co. continue to adventure. In the process, they meet all kinds of new people. Most of them want to kill her. But that's no problem for Lina! Only one question remains...who is Heaosaru?
1. A New Enemy! Why is it Always Me?

Slayers:   
ETERNAL BLACK  
Part 1: A New Journey! And the mysterious warrior!  
  
  
(This story comes after TRY, obviously, but there are some differences to the ending. This is kind of before the ending animation when the Slayers split up again, but Gourry still has the Sword of Light, and other stuff...just read.)  
  
  
In a country in the Outer World, the rest of the world that was once cut off from the world we know, there is a little town. This town is nothing special - it's just your average little place: nice people, well-built houses, and good food. There is nothing special about the place, but it is where everything begins...in a way.  
  
In an inn at this little town, a group of travelers are eating. They are definitely not nondescript - even the most normal of them would cause a stare at any town. There are four of them, two men and two women. Three of these people are eating ravenously - the fourth sits just off to the side of them, calmly eating like a civilized person, though his presence is enough to cause a stare. This man, clothed in slightly tanned clothes with a cloak, is not normal - his skin is grayish, his light purple hair like needles.   
  
His companions are no better: The other man, a tall, well-built man with a sword at his side, dressed in blue under his armor, with long blond hair, is eating like a horse, fighting for every scrap he can get. He attacks his food with the skill of a trained warrior, striking and parrying with unmatched skill.   
  
One of the girls, a short little girl, dressed in white, and rather well endowed for her age, with short purplish-black hair, also fights for the food, but has not the skill of the man, nor size to help her - she can only fight with the Justice and Truth in her heart, which is enough to overcome almost any obstacle.   
  
The last girl, also fairly short, with long red-orange hair and the strangest costume one could ever think of, fights the hardest, never allowing a chance for food to pass by her. She doesn't look intimidating, being small (in more ways than one), but she is top among the three for food. Three judges sit off to the side, all nodding and conferring among themselves, jotting down notes as the battle ensues.   
  
Zelgadis gives the three judges an odd look. "I wonder why they're here, and what the author was on when he introduced them..." he muttered to himself as the author continues to paint a picture through words in the best way. Simply, he rants.   
  
After the last plate is cleared and the dishes removed, the judges hold up their votes: Amelia: 7.7, 7.4, 7.8. Gourry: 8.7, 8.6, 9.0, Lina: 9.9, 9.9, 10. With that finished, the three of them stood, brushed off their robes, and walked out, all talking with each other. Lina punched the air in victory. "Hah ha! That just goes to show you that I am the world champion!" She sat back in her chair, gloating. Gourry and Amelia both looked disappointed at losing the competition, but it was hard for those two to stay sad for more than five seconds. Even before Zelgadis had finished saying four, Amelia was already cheerful and Gourry had forgotten what had just transpired.   
  
With the food all finished, the group sat at their table and began to converse. Not on anything specific - just random topics that came to mind. No one wanted to bring up the topic that all of them had in mind, of the recent events they had just been through with Dark Star and Valgaav.   
  
"Well," Lina finally said, "after all this time we've spent in the Outer World, I'm staring to get used to it. Of course, it will probably be centuries before magic spreads across the world, and is accepted, but I think that everything will work out okay, don't you guys?" Gourry nodded in whole-hearted agreement.  
  
"Not only that, but the food is great, too!" Lina gave a grin to that.  
  
"Yosha! Now we're starting to think back along the same tracks, Gourry! I say, tomorrow we set out!" She took a dramatic pose, Gourry right behind her. "In search of the ultimate glory!" Another pose, this one with a flash of light, provided by Amelia, who was glad to help increase the drama. "In the quest to find the best food in the world!" She stood on Gourry's shoulders, pointing off to the horizon. More flashes, and an unwilling Zelgadis threw a small handful of confetti.  
  
"Yay," was all he said. Amelia was almost in tears from the drama. The patrons at the inn all gave a huge round of applause.   
  
"Ano, Lina," Zel started as she hopped off Gourry's shoulders. "I thought your quest was to eat a dragon's cuisine?"  
  
Lina dusted off her hands, nodding. "Yeah, that does sound good."   
  
"If that's so, then why are we eating at every inn and bar we come to?"   
  
Lina laughed. "Ah, Zel, you just don't understand how to appreciate a meal like I do! The flavor, to inner taste, the spices and added flavorings, and how it should leave the most delightful aftertaste in ones mouth...and, as a merchants daughter, I can't help but love a low price!"  
  
"Don't you remember the last time we tried to get dragon's cuisine?" Zel asked.  
  
Lina was brought up short, but thought up a ready reply. "Well, this time, I'll have him start making it, then come back six months later! It's not like I have anything to do for the next year or so..." Lina pulled out a small pocket calendar and started flipping through it. "...or next several decades..." Lina shrugged and put it away. "But that's not what's important! Gourry!" She turned to her guardian. "Tomorrow we set off for more food!" Gourry held out a fork and knife in response, already ready to eat. Amelia pumped her fist into the air.  
  
"Yay! You're the greatest, Lina-san!" Lina reveled in the praise. Zel just sat, still looking like he was thinking of saying something, but decided against it.  
  
***  
  
Night fell, went on by with a trumpet fanfare, and the dawn kicked it out of the way. Dawn was immediately stabbed to death by morning, and the eternal feud between the times of daylight continued. Meanwhile, life went on as Lina and the others all set out to the next town, in search of better food.  
  
As they were walking, nothing out of the normal happened. When that is said, one generally means that absolutely nothing happened. But when speaking of Lina Inverse and her friends, the most abnormal situations can be normal. For instance, being set upon by a bandit gang is a perfectly normal thing to happen. So they weren't all that surprised when a large group of mean-looking bandits, complete with scars and fake eye patches, burst out of the bushes to surround them.   
  
"You're surrounded!" Their apparent leader bellowed. "Give us all your valuables and we'll let you live!"  
  
"You were right, Lina," Gourry said, a smile on his face. "It is just like home."  
  
Lina smiled. "Now, this is just what I needed: someone to vent my anger on." Amelia took a fighting stance, preparing to fight. Zel just looked bored.   
  
"All right, then! GET 'EM, BOYS!" The bandits all charged, intending to use sheer numbers to win.   
  
"BURST RONDO!"  
  
The bandit gang was thrown away from the blast of weak fire. The spell barely caused any damage - it was used more like a warning spell. Unfazed, the bandits stood up again and charged.  
  
"Well, it doesn't look like they'll leave us alone..." Lina said, an evil smile on her face. "Fireball!" she shouted. A fireball was gathered into her hand, and she threw it with pinpoint accuracy. A number of bandits were blasted away. A few leapt at her, but Gourry's sword flashed, easily dispatching of them.   
  
"Halt, you doers of evil!"   
  
The bandits looked up in surprise. Amelia had managed to climb the nearest tree, and was dramatically posing, pointing at them with an angry finger. "I cannot stand those of you who break the laws of Order and Truth! In the name of Justice, I will defeat you! Prepare yourselves!" With that, she leapt into the air, wind blowing dramatically, and came down to land.   
  
She landed normally on her feet.  
  
No headfirst crash-landing. No slipping or tripping over a rock. No accidentally hitting the innocent person under attack.   
  
It was a new day for the cause of Justice.  
  
Amelia pumped her hands into the air, also breaking the jaws of two of the bandits that had surrounded her. "YES! I have finally mastered the art of the final test of Justice! Oh, Tousan will be so happy and proud!" That was when she realized that she was surrounded. Not much of a problem.  
  
"Bram Blazer!" she cried, blowing away the bandits.  
  
Another group rushed Zelgadis, who was ignoring everything. As they attempted to hack through his skin, he decided to go to sleep while standing. However, before he could, Amelia took action. "Fireball!" While the spell did take care of the bandits, it also torched Zel. Amelia landed next to him and shouted, "Victory!" as Zel smoked.  
  
"Oi, Amelia..."   
  
"Hai?" she asked, looking at him, not noticing his burned clothes.  
  
"Mega Brando!" Lina shouted, sending the last of the bandits flying off into the sky. She brushed off her hands, quite pleased with herself. "Well, that was fun. Any left?" She looked around expectantly. Gourry was strolling away from a huge pile of bodies, and Amelia was waving happily. Zel still stood, smoking from the fireball.  
  
With business taken care of, the four of them set off once again, continuing on Lina's quest for food. The next town they came to was a rather large town, filled with people from all over. Of course, the first place they found was the inn, complete with food. As they sat and ate, while Lina and Amelia were fighting for a large piece of steak, Zel happened to glance out the window. A few shadowy figures were peering in the window, but they darted away as soon as he saw them. Zel, not one to dismiss anything as coincidence, made a mental note of them, but was quickly distracted by a bowl of soup hitting him right in the face as soon as he turned around.   
  
***  
  
A man cloaked in black, sitting halfway in the shadows, regarded the battered men in front of him. He held a glass of wine in his hand, swirling the wine thoughtfully. "So...you're sure that the one who destroyed your gang was the real Lina Inverse?" The leader, covered in bandages, nodded.  
  
"There was no way it could have been anyone else. The way she acted, fought, and blew everything up...it HAD it be her!" The man was silent for a moment. Then, through the shadows, the beaten bandits could see a hideous smile appear.   
  
"At last...Lina Inverse has come to this part of the world...now we shall see who is really more powerful." He stood and tossed a bag of coins on the table. "Thanks for the info. I'll take care of her." The bandits greedily grabbed the bag and began dividing the coins among themselves as the man walked out. Before he left, he paused at the doorway. "One last question."  
  
They all stopped and looked at him. "What?"  
  
A strange look came over the man. "Was she...really as small as they say?"  
  
The bandits looked at each other, then nodded. "As flat as a little girl."  
  
The man sighed. "Figures." With that, he vanished into the night.  
  
***  
  
Another night passed uneventfully for Lina Inverse. Meaning nothing blew up. However, time flows unnaturally, and one never knows when a problem may arise. One should always be ready. However, someone like Lina, who stays positive and never thinks past the present, the flow of time is always the most obscure.   
  
After they ate, they strolled down the street. Lina stretched. "Ah, what a nice day! And it all started out with a good meal! Today should be good." As they continued down the street, a shadowy figure tailed their steps.   
  
Amelia started window-shopping. She paused at a jewelry store and was in awe at all the shiny jewelry. "Ne, Lina-san! Come look at these!" Lina curiously came over to join her, and her reaction was just the same. Her eyes lit up as she stared at the contents of the store.   
  
"Ah, sugoi! This is so pretty! Ne, Amelia what do you think of that one?"  
  
"Ooo, that one's nice! What about that?"  
  
"Iie, too showy for me." The two girls continued to banter cheerfully on as they overlooked every bit of jewelry there. Gourry and Zel were left standing off to the side, watching. Gourry had a grin on his face, while Zel was moody, as always.  
  
"Those two..." Zelgadis started, then shook his head. "Ne, Lina is, what, seventeen? And she's acting like this?"  
  
"Aw, c'mon, Zelgadis, mellow out. Lina's always been like this. Let her have some fun for a while." Gourry glanced at the chimera with a grin. "Don't you ever like to just unwind and act like a kid again?"  
  
"Gourry," Zelgadis said, giving him a look, "when I was a child, I wasn't a chimera. I've been trying to cure myself for years now."  
  
"You have?"  
  
Zel fell on his face. "Of course I have! How small is your attention span, anyway?"  
  
Gourry shrugged. "I dunno. Oi, something shiny!"  
  
Zel sighed. It was inevitable for Gourry to be dumb. But he would never get used to it - not with the way he showed occasional bits of intelligence the way he did. Zel glanced over and saw the shadowy figure hiding in an alley, and was reminded of last night. "Ne, Gourry, we have a bit of unwanted company."  
  
"You mean the guy following us, or the ones from last night?" Zel blinked in surprise.  
  
"You saw them, too?" Gourry nodded. He hadn't even turned around.   
  
"They didn't do so well a job concealing themselves. There were three of them, all part of the bandit gang we destroyed," he said calmly.  
  
Zel was impressed. He did have exceptional hearing and eyesight, but Gourry was so well trained that he didn't even show it.  
  
"Oi, Zelgadis," Gourry started, still not looking at him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Gourry turned around, holding two shirts, one sepia, one moss green. "Which do you think looks better? The sepia? Or the moss green?"  
  
Zel started to have second thought about his travelling companion.  
  
***  
  
After Lina and Amelia had finally finished looking over every item in the store, they admitted they really didn't need anything, which made the owner of the store even more agitated than before.   
  
"You know, I hope that he was joking about calling the city guard on us," Amelia said, a little worried.  
  
"And he was just faking when he started foaming at the mouth, right?" Gourry asked, barely concerned but a little worried. "I mean, he may have some sort of medical condition."  
  
"Ah, he seemed okay when we left," Lina said, dismissing the subject with a wave of her hand. "What's more important is that, somewhere in this world, a good meal awaits us! But first we have to take care of these stupid bandits again."  
  
There was a momentary pause as the bandits realized that their cue to enter had been given, and they were supposed to appear dramatically. However, drama is hard to pull off when one is bandaged and wounded. So instead they just kind of limped out in a very un-dramatic way.  
  
"Lina Inverse!" Their leader bellowed again, but it was a much weaker bellow. "You may have destroyed our group, but we have returned for revenge!"  
  
Lina nodded. "Right, whatever. What do you guys think you can do to me?"  
  
The leader got an evil glint in his eyes. "Oh, I won't be fighting you."  
  
Lina raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
"The one who will fight you...is him!" With that, he pointed to a nearby group of trees, shadowed in a most unnatural way. But it wasn't just that - there was a strange feeling in the air, like of something that wasn't right. Then there was movement from these shadows, and Lina's world was forever changed.  
  
From the shadows stepped a man. He was short, barely taller than Lina, with a slim build to him. His body seemed to flow rather than move, each step a graceful glide, his feet seeming to barely touching the ground. He wore a tattered black trench coat over a black shirt and pants, which seemed like a part of him as well, flowing with his body. His black boots made no sound as they took each step, his movements a whisper of sound. A black scarf lined in silver, his eyes barely visible, shrouded the lower half of his face. He raised a hand to shake loose the scarf, and one could see he wore finger-less black gloves. On each hand he wore a silver ring with a dark jewel impressed into it, which changed along with the light. As the scarf fell down to settle on his shoulders, the rest of his face became visible. It was thin, his jaw well set, a short nose, his gray eyes staring dimly, barely reflecting the light. His mass of wild white hair ruffled as the breeze took it, a black streak going straight through the middle of it. He regarded them coldly, his eyes staring like two dim lights, boring deeper into your soul with each second they lay on you.   
  
This was only the first impression.  
  
With each step he took closer to them, you could tell a little bit more about him, just by his bearing. He was not of this area. He was a trained warrior. And he was paying very close attention to everything that was happening; meaning Lina couldn't pull something off sneakily.   
  
He stopped several feet from her, regarding her coldly. His eyes, which had seemed dead, now seemed to have the barest spark of like in them.   
  
"Lina Inverse."  
  
Even his voice was black. It seemed fitting of him. His eyes were focused on only her.  
  
Lina stepped foreword. "That would be me. What do you want?"  
  
A dead smile lit his face. "I'm here to kill you."  
  
There was a deathly silence. The wind blew coldly, whipping at her cape. Lina unconsciously shivered, but made sure not to show it. This wasn't new to her - she had had death threats more than once before in her life. But there had never been one that was so purely...black. That was the only way to describe it. She hadn't even felt this kind of inner fear when she fought Ruby-Eye Shabranigdo.  
  
She managed to calm herself and responded. "That's it? Just going to kill me, and leave? I don't even know you."  
  
"My name...is Heaosaru. I am the Bringer of Death to everyone. And you, who claims to be so powerful...I will prove that there is always someone stronger." Lina noticed that he was concentrating very hard whenever he spoke, and it was an unnatural concentration. Not like he was preparing a spell, but more like he was forming the correct words slowly. "Now draw your sword, and fight me."  
  
That took Lina aback. "Eh? Why would I fight you with a sword? I specialize in magic, not swordplay. If that's what you want, Gourry's right over here." She turned to point, only to find that Gourry and Amelia had taken cover behind a fallen log, and they had dragged Zel with them. Amelia waved at her.  
  
"Don't you worry, Lina-san! We'll just be right here, cheering you on! Remember that Justice is on your side!" Lina sweat-dropped. She then turned to face her opponent again. Heaosaru was still standing where he had been, not a muscle moving.  
  
"Ikuzo."  
  
With that, he took off, running to the side. Lina ran parallel along him, both keeping their eyes on the other. Heaosaru reached into his coat and leapt towards her, a wakizashi in his hands. He swung a massive overhead stroke, which Lina caught on her short sword.   
  
The two locked in that position for a moment, and Lina quickly realized that there was no way she could beat him with her sword - he was far too strong, and he obviously possessed a great deal of skill. Heaosaru suddenly ducked under her sword and shouldered her, knocking her back. His blade flashed like a scythe in the fields, cutting quickly and efficiently. Lina had to move as fast as she could to keep up, but that still wasn't enough. Heaosaru's wakizashi caught her just above her knee, knocking her off balance. He swung again, and would have put out her right eye had she not thrown her head back. The blade caught just below it, starting a trickle of blood down her face.   
  
Lina swung her short sword quickly. Heaosaru was forced to jump back, and Lina used this moment to strike. She punched her hand against the ground and shouted, "Bephis Bring!" A small fissure opened up in the ground, meant to put him off balance, but Heaosaru jumped into the air again.   
  
"Flare Bit!" he shouted, and a series of small balls of light shot out, kicking up a great deal of smoke. Lina was unable to see where Heaosaru went to, but she could guess. She quickly judged where he had been and estimated where he would land.   
  
"Flare Lance!" she cried, unleashing a full power spell. The explosion rocked the area and forced Gourry, Amelia and Zel to duck down. When they looked up, Lina was standing alone. Amelia pumped her hands into the air.  
  
"Yay! Go Lina-san! I knew you could do it!" Gourry and Amelia did a little victory dance for Lina. But Zel was keeping his eyes alert, and he saw the pinpoints of light appear.  
  
"Lina! Look out!" he shouted. Lina looked to the side to see it as well and dove to the side to avoid a high-power fire spell. She got up, only to see Heaosaru dart off to the side, just out of her vision. She tried to follow him, but he kept staying one step ahead of her. He was fast. That was for sure.   
  
"Earth below me, submit to my will..." She managed to catch him just in time to see him slam his hand to the ground. "Dug Haut!" Lina lost her balance due to the shaking earth, and knew if she didn't do something, she would be impaled on one of the many spikes of earth shooting up. "Levitation!" she cried, rising as quickly as she could into the air, out of danger. But Heaosaru wasn't done yet.  
  
"Icicle Lance!" he shouted, throwing a thick spear of ice at her. Lina had to drop the Levitation to avoid it, but that was what Heaosaru had wanted her to do. She hit the ground and looked up, only to see him running towards her, wakizashi ready to strike. With no other options, Lina took hold of her sword, stepped foreword and thrust.  
  
There was a sickening crunch and a sliding sound. Lina opened her eyes to find her blade imbedded in Heaosaru's chest, his eyes wide with amazement. His wakizashi lay a few feet behind her.   
  
"Oi...that's not...very nice..." he muttered, and the way he spoke sounded so childish, you never would have expected it. "Well..." he brought his hand back, his fingers splayed like claws, preparing to attack her physically. Lina, left with no choice, thrust her hands against his stomach and screamed the spell out.  
  
"VAL-FLARE!"  
  
The enormous flames tore through his torso, ripping a huge whole in him. He was carried several feet along with the spell before Lina released it. He fell with a slimy sounding thump, his blood starting to flow down the hill. The Val-Flare had already exploded, causing a huge fire in the distance. But Lina still stared at the man she had just killed.   
  
Her hands were shaking. She had never been so cruel to someone before. If she ever killed someone, which she tried to avoid, she tried to make it painless and fast. But this...she knew that Heaosaru was still alive. He would remain so for almost an hour, maybe more, if he were that strong, unable to move...  
  
Lina's heart raced. She slowly brought up her hands; there was no blood on them, but Lina could feel it, running down her hands, soaking through her gloves. Her hands shook, her eyes staring blankly as her thoughts ran like wildfire. I just killed someone in one of the worst ways...I barely even know him! Why did I do that? Oh, my god...She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Gourry, a sympathetic look on his face. Amelia and Zel stood just behind him.  
  
"Lina," Gourry said, "It's okay. I know how you must feel, but you didn't have any other choice."  
  
Lina looked back at body of the dead man. "That may be so...but...why did I use such a spell at close range...? He must be suffering horribly."  
  
"Eh?" Gourry asked, confused. "I was talking about the town. You blew most of it up, so we won't be able to eat tonight."  
  
"NANDATO?" Lina looked where the Val-Flare had exploded, and saw that she had destroyed a huge portion of the town they were just in.   
  
"Oh my god! I can't believe I did that! Oh, whatever will I eat today...? I'll starve to death...woe is me..." Lina fell to her knees and put her head in her hands. Gourry patted her on the back sympathetically.   
  
"At any rate, might as well put this one out of his misery," Zel said coldly. He advanced towards the fallen man, his steps heavy.  
  
Lina only heard his sudden intake of breath, so she didn't what was happening right away. But when she heard his sword fly from its sheath, she began to feel a strange aura in the air, of something that didn't feel right. She looked at Zel and almost stopped breathing.  
  
Heaosaru was getting back up.  
  
Lina knew that this had to be a nightmare or a bad dream, or something, but it was too real. There was no way he could move - his spine was almost completely gone. And yet, there he was, standing back on his feet, trying to clutch the gaping wound with one free hand. Blood was dripping from the hole in him, and Lina knew that this couldn't be a dream.  
  
Heaosaru spat, a mixture of blood and saliva. Then a weak smile came across his face. "That was nice, Lina Inverse. You hurt me...this is gonna suck to deal with before it heals. I'll go away for now and give you the win, but you can bet I'll see you soon." With a lurch, he turned and started slowly stumping away, his feet dragging on the ground. He paused and gave a little wave. "Ja..."  
  
And then he walked off.   
  
No one tried to stop him - they were all too much in shock.  
  
The day closed on an ominous tone. There was something that was no longer right once again...  
  
But just why did it have to involve her?  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Dragon Hunt! If Only I Had Some Food...

Slayers:   
ETERNAL BLACK  
Part 2: Dragon Hunt! If I had some food...  
  
  
A normal person can survive without food for three weeks, provided you have water and shelter. You can live off of roots and berries if needed; though some may be poisonous. A person can live by chewing bark when desperate measures are called for.   
  
However, when this person's name is Lina Inverse, that all changes drastically.   
  
"Lina needs food to survive..." Lina moaned, her back slumped. "I must eat... something..." she looked wildly around for something eatable, but couldn't see anything in view.  
  
"It's only been a day since we left the town," Zelgadis said stoically, the only one unaffected by the lack of food. Gourry and Amelia were both also walking slumped, their faces drained of energy. "I think that you can last for a few hours before we start having a real problem..." Zel trailed off as Lina started chewing on his stone skin. "Never mind - we have a problem."  
  
"I...need...FOOD!" she cried. She sat down and tried eating the grass, but spit it out disgustedly. How horses could stand that stuff was amazing. Unconsciously she rubbed the new scar below her right eye. It painfully reminded her of the previous day. "I'm not moving anywhere until I get something to eat," she declared obstinately. She folded her arms and stared at Zel, her eyes trying to bore a hole through his head. He glanced at her uneasily, unsure of what to do next. Gourry shook himself and tried to stand tall.  
  
"We can't give up now! We have to keep going..." he stopped as his stomach roared. He tried to laugh it off with a sheepish look, but it gave another loud roar. It sounded like a dragon bellowing.  
  
A dragon's roar...  
  
Zel realized what would happen too late. "Get do-" he was cut off as a giant shape went screaming only a few yards above them, the shockwave bowling them over. Zel glanced up in time to see the monstrosity start to turn around, arcing in flight to return.  
  
"HEY!" Lina shouted, pushing a lump that was known as Gourry off of her. She leapt to her feet and shook her fist at the dragon. "You bastard! There is no way in hell I'm going to let you get away with that!" She spread her arms, a wind beginning to pick up around her.  
  
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..." Zel, Amelia and Gourry immediately started panicking.  
  
"OI, OI!" they all shouted, grabbing her and pulling her back. "There is no way you're going to do that at such close range!" Zel shouted to her.  
  
"No way! I'm gonna teach that bastard just who it is he's messing with! Lemme go!" Lina struggled under the grip of the three, none of them going to let go. They all paused just in time to see the dragon streaking right towards them. All four panicked simultaneously, but were unable to move in time to avoid the second shockwave. The dragon continued flying on, soaring off to the horizon as they picked themselves up.   
  
"That...does it," Lina growled coldly, clenching her fist so hard it shook. "There is NO WAY in all of Hell that I am going to allow some overgrown lizard make a fool of ME!" She finished by punching the ground as hard as she could, then wincing at the pain. She stood up suddenly. She brushed the dirt off of her clothes and started off. The other three all quickly hurried after her.  
  
"Oi, Lina!" Gourry called after her. "Where are we going?" Lina pounded his head in with her fist.  
  
"WEREN'T YOU LISTENING TO A WORD I JUST SAID, JELLYFISH-BRAINS?" she bellowed at him. "I said we're going to go kill a dragon! Right after this eyecatcher."  
  
There was a quick musical interlude provided by the orchestra that followed them around, and a repeat of that right after it. Two men in all black ran in with a large picture of someone, then flipped it around for a different picture on the second run. They then ran off. Zel was left completely baffled by this as Lina picked up right where she left off. "We're going to go kill a dragon! Right after this-"  
  
"Ne, you already did that bit," Gourry reminder her quickly.  
  
"Oh, right. But anyway, first things first. I must get some food, and then we go kill. Sound good?"  
  
"Sounds good. Ikuzo!" Gourry and Lina both set off, side by side, marching down the path as Amelia and Zel both stared after them. There was a long silence.  
  
"Sometimes I think I'm the only sane person left in this world," Zelgadis moaned softly, then followed after them. Amelia, having absolutely NO idea as to what was going on, decided that if you follow Lina Inverse, it has to be exciting, if not full of food and bad jokes. So she was right behind them.  
  
***  
  
The main disadvantage to a large town is that, no matter whom you talk to, somehow everyone will know that you've come. This is especially true when you happen to be famous, or at least fairly well known. As it is, when a group consisting of a well-known sorceress and a princess, complete with bodyguard and chimera, enters in, word spreads like wildfire. Because of this, as they sat waiting for their food, dozens of medieval news reporters were crowding around their table, each one wanting to get their word in. Lina was positive that there had never been news reporters around before, but here they all were, trying to talk to her.  
  
"Lina-san, could I have a short interview with you?"  
  
"Ne ne ne, Lina-san, what's it like to be so well known?"  
  
"Oi, Amelia-hime, what does Prince Philionel think of the other kingdoms that are now in contact with Seyruun?"  
  
Lina tried to push away some greedy reporters, but wasn't having much success. "Ne, Lina-san," Amelia wailed from the chair next to her. "Who are these people, and why don't they leave us alone?"  
  
Zel simply sat, uncaring, as usual, as several others tried their hand at interviews. He put up with it until one bluntly said, "What's up with your skin and all? You look like a freak." Zelgadis kept his cool, calm exterior as he reached over, grabbed the insolent one, and planted his first seven inches into his face. He even stayed calm as he continued to pummel the poor man, who was now having second thoughts about opening his mouth, much less being born.   
  
Gourry, however, was having a great time. "Wow, I haven't had this much attention since my last birthday with my family!" He sighed happily. "Those were the good old days...playing on the hills outside of town...getting fresh bread from the baker down the street...ah...uh..." Gourry trailed of, forgetting what he had been talking about. The reporters were more than happy to continue his story for him, whether it was true or not.  
  
Lina, however, had now had enough.   
  
"DIRU BRANDO!"  
  
The reporters were left strewn about the sidewalk outside as Lina sat back down to enjoy her meal. The food was set on the table, and the waitress had to snatch her hands away to avoid loosing them to the ravenous heroes/heroines. Zel ordered a glass of water and two saltine crackers. As they ate, one of the reporters tried to crawl back in, but Lina stopped his questions before they started by planting her foot into his face.  
  
After a hearty meal, they all sat back. "Now," Lina said, drumming her fingers on the table, "to get that damn dragon, we need some information about it. What say we split up and go out to ask the townspeople about it?"   
  
"Hai! That's a wonderful idea, Lina-san!" Amelia said, absolutely full of energy. "Me and Zelgadis-san..."  
  
"Zelgadis and I."  
  
"...will form one group, while Gourry-san and you..."  
  
"You and Gourry."  
  
"...form another! That way we'll maximize our efficiency while still staying relatively safe!" She finished with a fist in the air. Gourry attempted to figure out how that worked out mathematically, but because he is Gourry, he gave up in about five seconds, most of which was spent thinking, Ah, I give up.  
  
"Relatively...?" Zel asked, not quite sure about his own future. There were storm clouds gathering outside.  
  
***  
  
After about a half-hour of quick info gathering, they regrouped at the town center by the obligatory fountain that always sits in the middle of town, where heroes of all kinds can sit and discuss their troubles. As it was, no one really paid attention to what they said. If they did, the bad guy could always figure out what the hero was doing just by asking some questions to the right people.   
  
Lina and Company weren't the only heroes relaxing by the fountain. There were several odd groups of travelers, ranging from several thickly armored men to some of the most unlikely band of heroes ever - but that is always to be expected of brave heroes.   
  
"Well, there wasn't much to be found," Zel reported. "Most people get white-faced and claim ignorance of any sort of dragon. It seems that they're all deathly afraid to even speak of it."  
  
"Same with us," Lina grumbled. She stood up and started pacing. "God, this is ridiculous! What makes people so afraid of something that they won't even talk of it? It's just a goddam dragon!"  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
They all turned at the sound of the voice, Gourry and Zel both automatically reaching for their swords. A young girl, looking to be only about sixteen, dressed in a green dress with a red scarf, took a step back at the two warrior's reaction. Her wealth of brown hair was tied back, and her face was distantly innocent.   
  
"What do you mean by, not exactly?" Zelgadis asked, a bit harsher than he intended. The girl shrunk back farther, looking rather frightened. Lina grabbed Zel's ear.  
  
"Mellow out, Zel!" she whispered fiercely into his ear. "She's just a little girl... well, not little, but who cares!" With that, she let go and walked up to the girl, a kind smile on her face. "I'm so sorry about Zel," she apologized, giving a little laugh. "He just gets so intense sometimes that he forgets who he's talking to." Lina lead the girl a ways away. "Now, can I ask you your name?"  
  
"It's Merasa," the girl said softly. She was definitely the shy type; all the guys must love her to death, Lina thought.  
  
"Good, now we're making some ground. My name's Sophia," Lina used and old favorite of hers to avoid the general response. "Can you say what you just said for me again?"  
  
"Well," Merasa started, her eyes downcast, "you and your friends were talking about the dragon, and I just wanted to say that, well..." she trailed off, but picked up again. "It's not a normal beast! It only comes out to attack travelers, and then leads them back to its cave, where it...devours them..." A sick look came to her face, and Lina decided it was time to make her move.  
  
"Really, now..." Lina tapped a finger on her forehead, thinking. "That explains why it kept coming after us. Now it makes even more pissed!" Lina began cracking her knuckles. "Something's gonna die, and it's big and red with wings."  
  
"Ano..." Lina glanced back at Merasa, who was cringing a bit away from her. "If you want, I can lead you to the dragon's lair. It's not too far from town."  
  
"Really!?" Lina cried, happily embracing the rather surprised girl. "That would be so great! Yosha! Now, we're gonna go kick some giant lizard ass!"   
  
***  
  
Not much later found them walking up a mountain. Which is to be expected, because all dragons live in a cave in a mountain. But mountains tend to involve lots of steep faces and unending peril to all that like to climb them. Because of this, it wasn't long before they got used to it.  
  
For example, as they were walking along one stretch, a tree growing out of the side of the mountain decided to fall on them. In a flash, Gourry sliced the tree into pieces, creating a nice woodpile, complete with a sigh reading, 'Wood for sale: Cheap!' With that done, they continued.   
  
At another point, they were walking along a narrow path when Amelia slipped and would have fallen to a certainly painful death if she had not cast Levitation. As soon as she was back on the path, they kept on going.  
  
On a rather overhung path, a boulder suddenly fell in front of them. This would have crushed the person in front, had that said person not have been Zelgadis. The boulder broke in half on his stone head, split perfectly down the middle. Zel rubbed his head, looking around to see what had hit him, then shrugged and kept going.   
  
At long last, they reached the dragons' cave. It was huge, a massive opening in the side of the mountain, looking for the entire world like an opening to the Hells. Bones littered the area in front of it, some of them human. As they walked through the bone field, the aged bones crunched beneath their feet, stirring mice and other odd animals from their homes. "Pleasant place," Lina said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. She didn't get a response.   
  
They entered the cave, guided by one of Lina's Lighting spells. The dim light reflected coldly off of the cave walls, giving off flickering shadows in the deeper corners of the darkness. Rats scurried from where they had been hiding in small crevices, stirred by human presence. In every corner, where the dim shadows flickered and danced without a care for anything in the world, a sense of danger emanated. Doom seemed to be written on all of the walls, and Death was just around every corner.  
  
Lead by Merasa, they cautiously crept foreword. The young girl showed no signs of terror; much less any type of fear at all. She walked forward, always confident in her steps, only slowing to collect her bearings. It was an odd change to the girl, who had been afraid of Lina's every jump, to be so calm here.   
  
Deeper and deeper into the twisting caverns they went, the passageways getting larger and larger. A heavy sense of anticipation hung over them, like a think blanket, accenting the inner fear that was in all of them. Finally, they reached the end.  
  
Lina followed Merasa around one last corner and found herself face-to-face with a large statue. She gave a start and nearly screamed before she realized it wasn't real. It was of what looked like an artistic interpretation of a dragon, with a long snout, horns about where the ears would be, lizard-like eyes, and a forked tongue. It was done in a cheap bronze, so it had lost it's dull shine and rusted over, now a pea green.   
  
Merasa walked up to the statue and pressed her hand against a section of the wall. It slid in, and the wall began to slide. She turned to them. "Through this passage is the way to the dragons lair. You go first." They started forward.  
  
"Hold it."  
  
Everyone turned. Lina was standing adamantly, her eyes watching Merasa. "Hang on just a minute her, miss. If this is the dragon's lair, then why does it need a hidden entrance? Why not just a large cave, hmm?"  
  
Merasa looked at Lina strangely. "Lina-san, I don't understand what you're saying..." Lina cut her off sharply, her voice like a knife in the darkness.  
  
"Oh, you know what I mean! You've been leading us in a twisted little circle this whole time! That whole story about the dragon...it may be true, but if it is, then you have something to do with it." Lina fixed her with a look. "What are you hiding?"  
  
There was a terrible silence as Gourry, Amelia and Zel looked back and forth between the two girls. Merasa smiled.   
  
"Well." She met Lina's gaze with an unflinching smile. "It seems you're a lot smarter than you make yourself out to be." Her smile twitched, like she was trying to keep herself from laughing. Lina's Lighting spell suddenly was snuffed out of existence.   
  
There was a deafening roar from the room that had opened behind her. "You want to know what I'm hiding...? Then you'll find out. But knowing means death."  
  
There was a huge burst of flames, as they were shown the giant room. It looked for all the world like the most generic dragon's lair, with gold strewn in huge piles everywhere, and the bones of less fortunate adventures littered the floor. The enormous red dragon reared up to its full height, reaching to the ceiling of the cave, at least a good forty feet up.   
  
That was when they saw Merasa. No longer garbed in her peasant girl clothing, she wore a skimpy green dress that showed quite a bit of cleavage, with a red scarf draped across her shoulders and arms. Her eyes had a malicious glint to them; nothing like the quiet, scared girl she had been earlier.   
  
"Lina Inverse," she said, her voice full of disgust, "I can't believe you actually fell for that whole act. You adventurers must have all been hit on the head too much, with how you all fall for the same trick. No matter." She smiled evilly. "This will be your grave. Dragon, get them!" The red dragon bellowed and opened its mouth, a burst of flames spewing forward. With how they were placed, Lina and the others had nowhere to run to.  
  
"Balus Wall!" Three voices simultaneously yelled. A reddish wall suddenly shot up, deflecting the flames to either side. As the smoke cleared, Lina stepped forward, a confident look on her face.   
  
"Is that it? Just a little dragon to try and kill me? I hope for you sake that you've got something else up your sleeve, because I'll kill you if you don't." She raised her hands above her head. "Freeze Arrow!" she yelled, throwing the spell straight at Merasa. However, before it reached her, the dragon moved in front of her to take the spell, which broke off on its hide.   
  
"Don't you worry, Lina Inverse!" Merasa yelled back. "I have plenty of tricks for you!" She pointed at Lina. "Kill her!"  
  
The red dragon bellowed and lunged for Lina. Somewhat surprised, Lina dove to the side just in time to avoid getting chomped. She rolled and came up with her hands pointing at the dragon. "Bram Brazer!" she shouted, and a blue blast shot out and struck the dragon, dealing little damage. It did, however, focus the dragon's attention on her. The dragon began to continually fire small fireballs at Lina as she dove, jumped, and twisted in every way to avoid them, screaming the whole time. Gourry and Zelgadis stood off to the side, watching. Gourry scratched his head.  
  
"You know, I have the strangest feeling..." he started.  
  
"Yeah?" Zel asked, still watching Lina.  
  
"Maybe...we could do something to distract the dragon away from Lina?" he suggested. Zel sighed.  
  
"You're right. What a bore." With that, and raised his hand. "Fireball." A small fireball spat out and bounced off the dragon's nose. It stopped for a moment to stare at it's slightly blackened nose, then looked at Zel and Gourry, both just standing there, eyes wide. "Ah...Gourry, your turn." With that, Zelgadis threw Gourry straight at the beast. Gourry ineffectively bounced off the dragon's snout. As Gourry joined Lina in her mad dodging of fire, Zel sighed.  
  
Merasa cackled evilly, her hand next to her mouth. "Yes, Lina Inverse! Dance! Dance until you are consumed with flames! Ha ha ha ha-" Merasa suddenly stopped laughing and fell on her face. Amelia, who had snuck behind her, had hit her in the back of the head with a golden scepter from the dragon's horde. The red dragon, confused now that's its controller was out cold, looked around aimlessly. Lina, however, had now had enough,  
  
"That's...it." She crossed her arms over her head and began the familiar chant.  
  
"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows...buried in the flow of time, in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!" Gourry, Amelia and Zel all started panicking, looking for a place to hide. "Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess!  
  
"DRAGU SLAVE!!"  
  
The familiar reddish beam shot out straight towards the dragon and struck it, creating a huge explosion that rocked the mountain. There was the longest silence in the midst of the rubble before an armored hand shot out. Gourry pushed a huge boulder off of him and climbed out, followed by Amelia and Zel. Lina landed gracefully next to them, completely unblemished.   
  
"Well, you see what happens when you mess with the great Lina Inverse?" she threw her head back and laughed evilly. "No one can beat me!" With that, she started skipping down to the town, humming a little tune, leaving the others staring blankly. As she went, she unconsciously scratched an itch under her eye. She stopped where she was and slowly ran her finger over the scar. She wasn't someone who scarred easily, but the small cut refused to go away, even after a healing spell. She shuddered uncontrollably.   
  
She wasn't invincible. Just a day ago, she had come too close to dying. And it wasn't the first time. Which was what scared her.  
  
"Lina?"  
  
She started at Gourry's voice. She turned to look at him, his kind, stupid face filled with concern. Zel and Amelia were right behind him, also looking at her. It was comforting to know that these people were her friends, and that they would stick with her through thick and thin.  
  
"Lina? What's wrong?"  
  
Lina just smiled. "Oh, nothing at all. Just thinking is all." She turned and started down the path again. "C'mon, let's go get us some food! We've been too long about it." With that said, they all walked down the path to the city.  
  
Continued later...(I hope) 


End file.
